


Paw Prints on Your Heart

by helterskeletor



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Schmoop, Short One Shot, human!Cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-17 10:28:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3525863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helterskeletor/pseuds/helterskeletor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas is newly human, lonely, and fond of cats. Dean has an idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paw Prints on Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Clearly we're all suffering from a lack of fluff in our lives. Sorry about the title but I saw something once that said "Cats leave paw prints on your heart" and apparently I'm disgusting today. Yay!  
> unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine

Being human sucks balls. If anyone knows that, it’s Dean. Which is why, when Cas starts disappearing into the bowels of the bunker for hours at a time, he doesn’t say anything at first. He figures the angel - ex-angel - probably just needs some time to himself to….. Well, Dean admittedly doesn’t have any idea what he’d do if it were him. 

 

It’s early in the morning, Sam is still sawing logs in his room, and it’s the fourth morning in a row that Dean’s risen to find Castiel’s bed empty. He usually makes an appearance just in time for breakfast, probably lured from hiding by the smell of coffee and bacon. 

 

This morning though, Sam wanders in just as Dean is pulling syrup and peanut butter from the pantry, and there’s still no sign of Cas. Dean frowns at the bunker at large, then turns and brushes past Sam as he fills a chipped mug with coffee, and heads for the end of the hall that leads deeper into the bunker. He cups his hands around his mouth and bellows, “Cas! Breakfast!”

 

When no answer seems forthcoming, Dean takes a couple of steps forward but stops when Sam rounds the corner, his brows knitted questioningly. Dean looks at him, they have a brief conversation regarding Cas’ behavior recently without actually saying anything, and then they both set out in search of their charge

 

It takes them almost an hour, and when they’ve finished, there’s still no Cas, and breakfast has gone cold. Dean won’t say so, but he’s kind of freaking out. Where had the former angel gotten to? They’d searched the entire bunker, some places twice, and Castiel was nowhere to be found. 

 

Dean wrings his hands together anxiously. “What if something took him?”

 

Sam feels a little bad for his brother right now. Not that he’s going to say so. “What could, Dean? This place is warded against everything and then some.”

 

Dean’s eyes have gone a deep forest green, the way they do when he’s deeply upset. Sam doubts his brother is all that aware of just how loudly he broadcasts his emotions.

 

Suddenly, Dean turns and heads for the front door.

 

“Where are you going?” Sam asks.

 

“Maybe he went for a walk,” is the answer he gets, spoken at the front door, just as it’s yanked open and Dean disappears outside. 

 

Once outside the bunker, Dean just kind of stands there looking around. No immediate sign of Cas, no shock of dark hair or pervasive air of misery. Dean picks a direction at random and starts walking.

It would seem he chose wisely, because after walking for about ten minutes, Dean finds Cas sitting with his back up against a tree, and a cat in his lap. He looks up and squints into the sun as Dean approaches and stands over him.

 

“Hello, Dean.”

 

Dean looks at the cat in Cas’ lap, a mangy calico thing with half an ear missing. Cas’ fingers scritch beneath it’s chin and it purrs loudly. 

 

Dean feels sort of warm all over, like the way he feels when Sam insults the Impala just to get a rise out of him. He’s speaking before he even know that he means to. 

 

“What the hell are you doing?” His voice seems to have gone up an octave. The cat looks annoyed by it. 

 

Cas frowns. “Just passing the time. You’ve never minded before.”

 

“Out here? We looked everywhere Cas, you scared the piss outta me!” All the wind goes out of Dean’s sails in one breath and he slumps forward slightly and his eyes go to his shoes. “I didn’t know where you were,” he adds uselessly, in a low tone.

 

Cas’ eyes go very soft, and he lifts the cat from his lap and places it on the ground beside him as he gets to his feet. It plants its ass in the dirt and looks up at him adoringly. Cas stands in front of Dean.

 

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to worry you. I only came out for some fresh air, but I unexpectedly made a new friend.” His smile is small but unmistakably there as he gestures behind himself at the feline. As if it means to make a point, the cat chooses that moment to get up and leave, heading back in the direction of the nearest farm house, brushing the length of it’s body against Cas’ leg as it goes. 

 

Cas actually looks a little heartbroken at its departure. Dean ducks his head, trying to catch his friend’s eye. “A cat’s love is fickle, Cas. It never would’ve lasted.”

 

It’s a weak attempt at lightening the mood, and Cas rewards him with a small half smile. Dean can tell his heart isn’t in it though. 

 

They’re quiet for a moment, just standing there on the side of the little road. Then Dean’s brain does that thing where it gives him what is probably a really bad idea and absolutely zero reasons not to do it. He claps a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

 

“I gotta run some errands. You wanna come with? I promise I won’t play the music loud.”

 

Cas gives him a real smile then. “Thank you, Dean. I would like that.”

 

So after informing Sam that the former angel had been found at last and that they were heading into town, they climbed into the Impala and set off, a companionable silence settling over them. 

 

After a while, Dean screwed up his nerve and ventured, “Uh, Cas…..how are you…uh, how are you holding up?”

 

Cas is silent for so long, Dean wonders if maybe he shouldn’t have asked, maybe Cas didn’t want to talk about it. But then he lets out a long suffering sigh and says, “It’s lonely.”

 

Dean doesn’t really know what to say to that. He really shouldn’t have asked. He’s too emotionally retarded for this. 

 

“Cas….you know you’re not alone, right? Me and Sam, we…”

 

“It’s not that, Dean.” Cas has been gazing listlessly out the window. Now he turns to look at Dean. “Nothing means more to me than the fact that you’re here with me.”

 

Dean feels his ears go red. He hopes Cas doesn’t notice.

 

He doesn’t seem to, as he continues, “I miss my brothers and sisters."

 

It's spoken so quietly that Dean is compelled to glance at the other man. Cas is huddled in his seat, looking suddenly so small. His hands rest miserably like clipped wings in his lap. "It's so quiet...in my head."

 

Dean is at a loss as to what to say. So without thinking too hard on it, he reaches out and places his hand gently on Cas' leg and deliberately leaves it there. Darting his eyes to the side, he sees Cas staring down at his hand, a wry little quirk to his lips. Then he looks up at Dean with a mix of gratitude and trust. It immediately makes Dean feel inadequate, and he squashes the feeling viciously.

 

They make the rest of the journey into town in silence. 

 

***

 

The first thing Cas notices after they park is the little yard where some people are playing with a dog. 

 

“Dean, why are we at an animal shelter?”

 

Dean suddenly found himself unable to look directly at Cas, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. Attempting a cover, he shrugged and turned toward the building as he said, “Just checking it out.

 

Hurrying to catch up, Cas snagged Dean’s jacket sleeve and asked in a low tone, “Is there a case here?”

 

Surprised, Dean looked up to find concerned blue eyes. He couldn’t help it, he laughed. “Naw, Cas, no case.” Cas frowned but said no more, and followed Dean through the front door.

 

Inside the shelter was a front desk with a middle aged women seated behind it. Cas could hear the incessant clamor of barking dogs behind a door to the right; another door stood to the left, and through it’s glass Cas could see dozens of cats in all shapes and sizes, wrestling with each other and lounging on various surfaces. He couldn’t stifle his sharp inhale, and Dean glanced at him with one side of his mouth lifted. Then, turning to the woman at the desk, he gave her is most charming grin and said, “Hi there, we’d like have a visit with the cats, please.”

 

She smiled a kind smile and replied, “Well, go ahead and go on in. Please make use of the hand sanitizer before entering and after leaving.” Still smiling, she returned to her paperwork.

 

Dean turned to Cas and inclined his head, indicating Cas should precede him through the door. Cas obliged, looking rather confused, but also tentatively happy. His eyes were like saucers as he entered the small room and a few of the smaller kittens immediately gathered at his feet. He knelt cautiously, scooping one into his hand, bringing it to his chest and rubbing and index finger over it’s tiny head. Dean watched quietly, his small smile blooming into a gigantic grin at the sight before him.

 

Dragging his attention from the kitten in his hand briefly, Cas looked up at Dean with a question in his eyes. Dean shrugged. “You seemed so disappointed when that one back at the bunker decided to leave.”

 

Despite the fuzzy creature in his arms, Cas’ eyes seemed to be glued to  
Dean. “Thank you, Dean,” he murmured.

 

After putting the first kitten down, Cas made a circuit of the room, trying to pay equal attention to each feline. He was crouched down, petting a large tabby with a bobbed tail when something landed on his shoulder. He startled, but then realized it was just one of the more adventurous creatures trying to say hello. Ignoring Dean’s chuckles (he’d seen the cat stalking Cas and had opted not to say anything), he turned his head to see a little jet black cat with white socks making itself quite comfortable. 

 

“Hello, there.” He said to it. It rubbed it’s face against his, leaving him sputtering fur out of his mouth. 

 

“Looks like he really likes you, Cas,” Dean said, reaching out to stroke the animal’s long tail. At the touch, it turned and began applying its face-rubbing assault to Dean’s hand. Cas made a sound that was strangely close to a giggle. Dean found it hard to associate a former angel of the Lord with giggling. but it did give him an idea.

 

“Well, we’ve been in here over an hour,” Dean, making a show of stretching and popping his back. “Whatd’ya say we head back and I’ll whip up some burgers for dinner.”

 

The look on Cas’ face at that suggestion nearly broke Dean’s heart. It was almost enough to get him to relent, but he just really wanted to see the former angel’s eyes light up again.

 

Cas actually squeezed the little black cat in a tiny hug before putting it on the floor. He gave a forlorn look around, and then headed for the door. Dean almost felt like a bit of a douchebag. Almost.

 

Just as they were climbing into the Impala, Dean exaggeratedly checked his pockets and announced, “Think I musta put my phone down in there somewhere, I’ll be right back.” Cas simply nodded without looking up as he opened the passenger side door. Dean dashed back inside

 

The woman at the desk looked up and said, “Back so soon?”

 

Dean grinned, “Well, I was hoping you could help me out. See, I wanna surprise my friend out there…”

 

***

 

It had been roughly ten minutes and Cas was beginning to think he should go back in and see if Dean needed any help finding his phone. He’d just put his hand on the door handle, when the front door of the shelter opened and Dean stepped out, carrying a plastic hutch with a wire door on the front. Cas climbed out of the car, meeting Dean halfway.

 

Cas looked at the carrier and the little black face that peer out at him. The he looked a question at Dean, and Dean grinned. “I know it’s not exactly like being able to hear your whole family inside your head, but….well, I thought maybe she could help you. You know, not be so...lonely.”

Dean suddenly felt bashful. Perhaps Cas didn’t want the responsibility of looking after a pet. Perhaps he shouldn’t have presumed…

 

But Dean needn’t have worried, because his train of thought was interrupted by Cas throwing his arms around Dean’s neck in a fierce hug that Dean never would’ve expected. “Thank you, Dean.”

 

Trying not to drop the cat carrier, Dean wrapped his free arm around Cas’ shoulders, returning the hug. “No problem, Cas.” Pulling back, he looked the ex-angel in the eyes and said, very seriously, “I just want you to be happy. You know? I know this whole human thing is a pretty raw deal, but -”

 

Cas took the carrier from Dean and placed it reverently in the back seat. “I am happy, Dean.”

 

“Good, good,” Dean didn’t really know what else to say. “I just worry about you, man.”

 

“I know, Dean, and I wish you wouldn’t. I have you. And Sam. And because of you, I have a home, and clothes to wear, and food to eat. I am….out of my element. But that doesn’t mean I’m unhappy.” Cas reached up to place a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “I miss my brothers, and Heaven, but I could never be unhappy with you by my side, Dean.”

 

Dean didn’t know how to respond to that, could barely meet Cas’ eyes after that soliloque. “Gee, Cas, I….I don’t know what to say.” He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck awkwardly.

 

Cas simply smiled at him and climbed into the car. Dean still felt a little dazed from Cas’ gushing, and his heart was fluttering alarmingly, but he hurried to climb into his own seat.

 

After Dean had fired up the car, Cas said, “I think I’ll call her Grace.”

 

Dean smile. “That’s a great name, Cas.”

 

END


End file.
